Getting rush from rushing

Never satisfied, Tomlinson wants to be top 'running back'
By Kevin Acee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
September 8, 2006

Turner part of backfield duet with Tomlinson?

LaDainian Tomlinson, five years into his career, running and cutting and flying to greatness, is wondering what else he could have done.

He asks himself this question:

“Why haven't I accomplished more?”

All around him, there are proclamations of how he is the best in the game.

Inside, a monologue is ever-present:

“What if I don't have a good season and I don't even get over 1,000 yards?”

Never has anyone in NFL history done so much with so much.

Tomlinson has gained 9,753 yards from scrimmage, far more than any player through his first five seasons in the league.

Tomlinson's 7,361 rushing yards in his first five seasons are second only to Eric Dickerson's 7,979. Tomlinson's 2,392 receiving yards are second among running backs only to Marshall Faulk's 2,804. Neither of those players' combined totals over their first five years come close to Tomlinson's.

“It's human nature to get complacent when you start to have some success,” Tomlinson said. “People say you're ahead of all these guys, and you start to think about it more. For me, I don't even like to think about it. I'm more negative on myself than anything.”